The invention relates generally to a system for manufacturing parts for subsequent assembly as a functional device, such as a cyclone, based on user input in the form of performance parameters.
The present invention is disclosed herein in the specific context of a cyclone separator, but the invention is not so limited. Very briefly, cyclone separators, also known as centrifugal separators, have been known since 1886 and serve to separate mixtures of particulate matter and gas by introducing the mixture at a sufficiently high velocity into the cyclone, which imparts a swirling motion such that larger, heavier solid components of the mixture move towards the interior walls of the cyclone by virtue of centrifugal force, while gas moves towards the center and is exhausted as relatively clean gas. Advantageously, cyclones employ no moving parts. The vast majority of cyclone separators are used to separate sawdust from conveying airstreams. However, cyclones are also employed for separation of a wide variety of particulate materials from conveying airstreams.
Cyclones are typically furnished and installed by mechanical contractors. In most cases, a cyclone is simply purchased as a unit from a cyclone manufacturer, and then installed. In other cases, mechanical contractors, typically having suitable equipment, manually lay out and cut out the parts for a cyclone, assuming they have a suitable design available.
Many mechanical contractors and sheet metal fabrication shops have computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) equipment, also known as numerically-controlled cutting equipment, which has the capability of directing a cutting device, such as a laser or electric arc device, in an X-Y coordinate system to cut out metal shapes that are numerically specified. The action is somewhat like a mechanical plotter, but on a relatively large scale. In some cases, rather than cutting the metal pieces directly, the equipment is employed simply to draw lines on pieces of sheet metal for subsequent manual cutting.
The prior art has extended the usefulness of CAM systems by combining or integrating CAM with computer-aided design (CAD) capability to produce CAD-CAM systems whereby a designer, with the assistance of appropriate computer software, designs specific parts. Appropriate data is then transferred directly from the CAD component of the system to the CAM component of the system for manufacturing. In general, users of such systems input configurations and dimensions of parts, which are viewable on a computer display prior to manufacture.
Such systems are disclosed in the context of sheet metal fabricating in Levine Pat. Nos. 4,551,810 and 4,554,635. The Levine patents disclose a computerized system for partially automating the design of duct work and for automatically producing patterns for the sides of conduit sections in the designed duct work. The Levine system comprehensively aids an operator in designing the duct work for an entire building, then drives a cutting machine to make the required pieces. An even more elaborate CAD-CAM system is disclosed in Jones et al Pat. No. 4,998,206.
As related prior art, Daley Pat. No. 4,847,778 discloses a computerized system for laying out patterns for individual sheet metal fittings at a job site, for subsequent manual cutting. The Daley system provides patterns for a variety of fittings of different angles and sizes.